The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Malus tree, created by me; a Clonal selection designated as Malus `Coral Cascade`. Although its parentage is unknown, it is of Malus.times.Zumi ancestry (Malus baccata mandshurica.times.Malus Sieboldi). This new clone of Malus has been selected on the basis of the following characteristics
1. Its graceful spreading-cascading habit of growth, especially when loaded with fruit in the Fall.
2. Its profuse and striking annual display of an unusual and uncommon coral-orange fruit.
3. Its high resistance to diseases which often affect Malus.
In 1950, when varieties of ornamental flowering crabapples, available commercially, were very limited; I embarked upon a program intended to produce superior new clones with various superior characteristics pertaining to flowers, fruit, size, habit of growth, disease resistance, annual blooming, etc. I began by obtaining almost all of the varieties then available commercially, as well as propagating varieties not commercially available by obtaining scions from various botanical gardens, and grafting them onto apple seedlings. As these developed, I began collecting open-pollinated seed from those which appeared promising and starting hundreds of thousands of seedlings, from which I always selected . . . at the earliest stage . . . those which appeared different, and discarded the rest. As the selected seedlings developed, I collected open-pollinated seed from those which appeared promising and, from the resulting seedlings, continued to keep only those which appeared different, and discarded the rest. Out of the countless thousands of seedlings started, I eventually had planted out, for further evaluation, approximately 500 selections which showed promise for one reason or another. Out of these selections, two were patented in the early 1970's and others appear to be worthy of patenting. About 1958 a seedling selection was observed which had a very uncommon cascading habit of growth and produced, each year, an enormous and very striking display of small, glossy fruit of a distinctive and uncommon coral-orange color; and appeared free from all Malus diseases. This selection was always greatly admired by visitors and eventually became so distinctive that it was given the name of `Coral Cascade` and was selected to be patented and introduced upon the issuance of a patent.
Over the years, I have vegetatively propagated Malus `Coral Cascade`, by grafting scions of it onto seedlings of apple or crabapple and the resulting progeny have all proven to be identical, in all respects, with the original tree.